Norwegian consortium to develop 900 MW portfolio

St1 Nordic Oy’s Norwegian subsidiary, St1 Norge AS, has signed a contract with a consortium consisting of Vindkraft Nord AS and Ny Energi AS to establish a company aiming to develop two wind park projects in northern Norway.

The joint venture named Grenselandet AS will manage a wind farm development project in the Lebesby and Tana municipalities in Finnmark county. At the first stage Grenselandet will focus on the development work and the environmental impact assessment, which is expected to take up to 3 years.  Based on the outcome of this process further steps will be determined.

The wind farm development work consists of 2 planning areas with a total production capacity of 900 MW. Davvi farm’s capacity would be 700 MW. The other farm, Borealis, would have a capacity of 200 MW, where Grenselandet’s share would be 50% the other partner being Finnmark Kraft. The Finnmark area bordering Finland is considered one of the best in Norway in terms of wind conditions. The location would also enable investigation of the possibility of connecting the farms to both the Norwegian and Finnish grids. When in production, the farms would generate 3.6 TWh annually. 

Harald Dirdal, Project Manager Grenselandet, said:

“The project will strengthen the central grid eastwards, and thereby secure a supply of renewable energy for the region. This project, along with the proposed grid concept, will enable development of energy-intensive industries. The project will provide Finnmark with the opportunity to contribute to the national emissions target by exploiting their good wind conditions.”

Energy company St1 has a strong focus on renewable energy technology and production and the company has a significant presence in the Finnish wind power market through its associated company TuuliWatti Oy. 

Thomas Hansen, Director of Renewable energy in St1 Norge AS, said:

“In line with our strategy to become the leading seller and producer of CO2 aware energy we hope to leverage our experience in wind power to develop an area with tremendous potential for economically and environmentally sustainable power production with our partners, the local community and regulatory authorities.”

Stine Akselsen, Mayor of Lebesby municipality, said: 

“Finnmark is happy to have a solid energy company like St1 in the team. The fact that this is a Finnish company is exciting, especially considering a Finnish network solution for the project.”

The project is probably the first project in Norway that can be developed without governmental subsidies, and marks a step change for the renewable energy industry in Finnmark.

Øyvind Isachsen, CEO NORWEA, said:

“This potentially marks a shift – we are now entering the times of subsidy free renewable energy development. Finnmark’s incredible wind resources mean that this is where the new times begin. We will be doing what we can to assist Grenselandet and other wind establishments in Finnmark county on their way to establishing the area as Europe’s foremost wind power area.”